Hilary Simpson knits, washes, shrinks and stuffs because she 'felt like it'

"I start with wool body parts," says Hilary Simpson. "And then they go into the washing machine into the hottest water I can get. It's controlled shrinkage."

Simpson is describing the textile process called "felting," which converts knitted material into a dense, felt-like fabric, that can be cut and sewn.

Felting starts with knitting 

Simpson, an avid knitter, decided to try a pattern for felted slippers on a whim, and found that she enjoyed the process.

She moved on to pet toys, and then to stuffed toys for humans, creating a craft business called Because I Felt Like It.

Simpson first knits each item in 100 per cent wool, making it about 30 to 50 per cent larger than finished product.  

Then she felts, stuffs and finishes each toy.

"You get little velveteen rabbits," said Simpson.

Do you have an interesting weekend project or hobby? Tell us what YOU are at. Email [email protected] or tweet @CBCWam.  

You can hear What Are You At? This Is It Saturdays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.